At the conclusion of the NCAA basketball season, December 1st could be viewed as the defining moment of a memorable 100th anniversary campaign for the Illini.

Just one moment in a season Illinois fans may never forget.

But that all depends on whether or not they capitalize on their opportunity.

Never before has Illinois been in a position to grab hold of the nation’s attention and never before have they been so well equipped to do so.

This season just feels different.

Maybe it’s the celebration of the team’s centennial or even the whimsical idea that I will join my fellow Illinois enthusiasts in dancing through the streets of St. Louis in early April, but this is not your garden variety Illinois squad.

Numerous preseason publications have placed the Illini in the pole position for the national title hunt, but as we have learned in the past (see 2001), lofty expectations mean nothing if they aren’t met on the court.

Last year when they had an opportunity to prove that they belonged and the loss of Brian Cook would not place a hindrance on their season, they lost at Chapel Hill and promptly vanished from the national spotlight until their late season, 12-game, Big Ten winning streak.

People, more specifically the so-called experts at ESPN, don’t realize what they’re getting with this team. They think it’s the same Illinois team that is missing that special something to push them over the top.

The self-proclaimed sports leader led by resident dunce and “guru” Dick Vitale slides them down to 13 in their preseason publication under the usual powers like North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Michigan State, leaving myself and all other knowledgeable college basketball fans to wonder if Dickie V is getting paid by these schools or if he just smoked himself stupid on Tobacco Road.

If he put Illinois ahead of the pack, that would be crazy baby!

Not this season Dickie V!

At the outset of the young season, the Illini appear to be the perfect blend of speed, toughness, shooting and leadership that hasn’t been seen in Champaign during the last six years they have been near the top of the Big Ten standings, and maybe ever in Illinois history.

Dee Brown and Deron Williams are being their usual selves, Luther Head has stepped up his game as a senior and contributions are being received from everyone in Weber’s army.

Are they undersized? Maybe. But what college basketball team and their herd of giants this side of Gonzaga isn’t?

People are trying their hardest to identify kinks in the armor of the Orange, but it’s time pundits realize one thing.

For the first time in the past four years, the Illini’s poll ranking is justified by their talent and experience. And what better way to test that ranking than against the number one team in the land?

Wake Forest, led by sophomore point guard Chris Paul and currently sitting atop the polls, return their entire starting lineup from last season and seem destined to go places it couldn’t while Tim Duncan was around.

But come 6 o’clock tonight, every preseason opinion formulated about college basketball will be rendered obsolete.

It’s time for Illinois to prove to the nation that it is here for the long haul.

Now is the time to knock Paul’s face off the cover of every college basketball publication that declared him the next great thing.

Now is the time to show doubters of the Illinois frontcourt that they can be a force under the boards and take Deacons center Eric Williams out of the game.

Most importantly, now is the time to set the tone for the rest of the season and take their seat at the head of the nation and turn past disappointments into nothing but a memory.

The opportunity is right there waiting for them.

Jeff Feyerer is a senior in ALS. He can be reached at [email protected].